


Friendship's cost and Love's price

by ssa_archivist



Category: Smallville
Genre: First Time, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-05-17
Updated: 2004-05-17
Packaged: 2017-11-01 08:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/354564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssa_archivist/pseuds/ssa_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>CLexfest wave VIII challenge response.<br/>Last line challenge, "Who else are you going to fight with if not your friends?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friendship's cost and Love's price

## Friendship's cost and Love's price

by AtieJen

<http://geocities.com/atiejen>

* * *

TITLE: Friendship's cost and Love's price. AUTHOR: AtieJen  
FANDOM: Smallville   
PAIRING: Lex Luthor/Clark Kent   
**RATING: PG-13**  
SUMMARY: Rumours and lies. What is the outcome of one little lie? CHALLENGE: ClexFest last line challenge: "Who else are you going to fight with if not your friends?" DISCLAIMER: The WB, DC Comics, MillarGoughInk, Tolin, Robbins, and Davola [along with whomever else] own this wonderful show. I am merely borrowing the characters to use in my own slashy way and will try to return them as mentally cognizant and stable as when I took them, Thank You AUTHOR'S NOTE: Part of the CLEX Fest wave 8, at <http://www.kardasi.com/Lexclusive/ClexFest/> AUTHOR'S EMAIL: atiejen@yahoo.com  
AUTHOR'S WEBPAGE: <http://geocities.com/atiejen> **FEEDBACK: PLEASE!**  
APPRECIATION: Thank you ever so much to my lovely reader, Doeh, who helped me where he could. 

* * *

"You know, you could have just told me that you were seeing someone. You didn't have to lie about it. I would have believed you and left you alone." 

Clark looked around to see who was being addressed and when he saw that it was himself, he questioned his companion, "what are you talking about? Seeing someone? Whom am I supposed to be seeing now?" 

"Clark, how callous can you be. All this time, I was going on and on about how much I liked you and you didn't even have the decency to tell me about your partner. I had to hear about it from Lana. Lana of all people, and you know how much she likes to get one up on me. She was sooo smug about it. How much you were in love, how you would do anything for each other and how you didn't have time for anyone else. How could you do that to me, Clark?" Slap "Ooww, I though we were getting to be better friends. Let me tell you, friends don't treat each other that way. They don't take advantage of the other's feelings the way you did with me." 

Clark could only stare in strange stupefaction at the girl before him. He was sincerely surprised and didn't know where she was coming from. For a moment, he was sorry as he saw her cradling her palm where she slapped him, but he quickly disabused himself of any sympathy he had for her, after all, she was the one that slapped him. 

"Leslie, Leslie," he called her twice when the first call didn't stop her sniffling. "What!" She snapped at him and he tried to explain to her. "I am not seeing anyone." 

"Oh, stop lying to me. I knew you would do this. They told me that you would do this. Why are you trying to hide it, do you think that I can't accept it? Let me tell you, where I come from, there were people like you and I didn't discriminate against them. Okay, maybe I wasn't as open as I could have been but that doesn't mean that you should keep hiding it. 

"Hiding what!?" Clark asked her in exasperation. 

"Your lover." She told him quite simply, and the non-inflection in her voice told him that she was quite serious about what she was saying. 

"My what?" 

"You heard me, your lover, or is that not what you are calling it?" 

Now confused, Clark could only pull her away from those that had looked at them when he shouted and tried to question her further. 

"Let me see if I understand you. Lana told you that I had a lover?" 

"Ye~es." 

"It's a lie." Pulling his hand through his hair, Clark tried asking her again, did she tell you who this supposed lover of mine is?" 

"Of course. Are you trying to tell me that Lex Luthor is not your boyfriend or lover?" 

"Le-ex?" Clark stumbled. 

"Yes. Mr. Lex Luthor; lives in a castle outside of town, bald and very rich. That Lex Luthor. Unless if you know another one." 

"Listen to me carefully Leslie, Lex is my friend and that is all there is to it. Friends. Got it? Don't go spreading any rumors now." 

At his statement, she just looked at him knowingly, "Whom are you trying to convince, Clark? And seeing the way you are denying him, I think it's a good thing Lana told me, or else it might be me that you would be denying next." As if in disappointment, she continued, "now I have to thank her for doing something right, damn." 

Seeing that she wasn't listening, Clark left her alone and sped away from school. By the time he reached The Sullivan's residence, he was quite angry and worried. Angry that Lana could say such a thing and worried about what Lex would do if he heard. Not to mention his parents, they were skeptical about his friendship with Lex enough without being told that there were rumors spreading about a sexual relationship. 

He knocked on the door quite hard and waited for someone to acknowledge him. In his haste and anger he forgot that Lana wouldn't be home at that time. 

"Oh, Mr. Sullivan, I'm trying to find Lana, is she here?" 

"You know she'll be working at the Talon at this time, Clark. What has you in such a bother?" 

"Nothing, sir. Please could you tell her to call me when she comes back?" 

"Oh, I don't know about that, Clark. It will be quite late by then. Can't it wait till you see her in school tomorrow?" 

"I'm sorry Sir, it can't wait. Please tell her to call me." 

"Well Son, if it really can't wait like you say, why don't you go and meet her in the Talon. Like I said, that is where she will be till late." 

"I have to go home, Mr. Sullivan. Thank you." 

After that, Clark left the Sullivans in anger and despair and returned home. Luckily for him, only his mother was at home, with his father in the farm and with one look at his face, Martha gently pulled him into the kitchen and pushed him to sit. 

"What is wrong, Clark?" she asked him with quite a tender tone. Clark flushed and looked away from her even as he answered, "nothing, Mom" 

"Don't tell me that, young man; nothing doesn't make you look like your best friend has just died." 

Clark looked at her at that, and then amended his answer, "Okay, nothing serious, Mom." 

She smiled at him and placed a glass of milk in front of him before brushing his hair off his forehead. "Now we are getting somewhere, what is this nothing serious that has you in such a mood?" Even though she was trying to be kind and gentle, Clark knew that he couldn't tell her anything until he spoke to Lana, and he also knew that she wouldn't leave it alone until he told her what was wrong. 

Knowing that, Clark took a deep breath and told her, "It's just something I have to work out on my own, Mom. I can't talk about it right now." Clark almost flinched at the hurt look that crossed his mother's face but he ignored it. No matter how close he'd always been to his parents, there were some things that he couldn't talk to his mother about, and this was one of them. 

"You know Clark, if it is a new power, maybe you should talk about it." Here Clark interrupted her, "It's nothing like that, Mom." 

"...It wouldn't be a good idea for you to let everything get on top of you again. We wouldn't want a repeat of last summer." Martha continued as if Clark hadn't said anything, and by the time she finished, they both blanched at the rawness of her statement. It wasn't that they completely ignored everything about Clark's mistakes, but in the Kent household, they generally glossed over it, and for a moment, Clark couldn't believe that his mother referred to it so blandly. It almost felt like she was looking at him in the same way that his father had before he ran to Metropolis. 

"It's not a new power, Mom. And if it was, I'd definitely tell you before it gets to the point where I'm considered dangerous." Clark answered her harshly and not giving her a chance to respond, he ran up to his room leaving his half finished milk. When he got there, Clark fell onto his bed for a short while focused on everything that had gone wrong with his day. It was so unexpected and he felt he didn't deserve it, both from Lana and from his mother. 

In order to get his mind off his problems, Clark settled in to do some of his homework, and where usually he would semi-speed through it, this time he chose not to but concentrated on exactly what he was doing. The English essay that wasn't due for another fortnight was also started. Since that was a last resort attempt at keeping his mind occupied, he almost let it go because it reminded him of his friends. It was an assignment that he had wanted to do with help from Chloe and Lex but at that moment, he couldn't even see himself sitting down to do something as mundane as an assignment with Lex. 

Clark eventually got tired and fell asleep. When he woke up, he realized that Lana hadn't even called him, and felt a knot in his stomach at the thought of facing her in school without already discussing the situation with her. His chores went quietly as he tried his best not to look into his mother's eyes that morning. The usually oblivious Jonathan also noticed that things were not kosher but since Martha and Clark ignored the tension, Jonathan wasn't told anything. 

In the middle of the oppressive silence at the table, Jonathan admonished Clark. "Are you planning on missing your bus this morning?" 

"Ooops," Clark falsely exclaimed. "I'll just run in." There was no way that he was prepared to face his fellow students on the ride to school. Because, if there was one thing that he knew about Leslie, it was that she was a very big gossip. 

Clark quickly finished his breakfast and ran all the way to the school without breaking a sweat and just as luck would have it, he made it there before the bus arrived. He then went to the torch office to wait for the other students especially Lana who always came in with Chloe. It turned out that this was the exception, Chloe came in on her own and when she caught sight of Clark, she first grimaced in something akin to distaste before smiling overly brightly. 

"Clark, I didn't think I'd be seeing you here this early." 

"Chloe, ... how are you doing?" he asked, ignoring her facial expressions. 

"Me...Me, I'm doing great; Really well. ... Well I have this week's edition to finish so that I can send a copy to the Daily Planet and the Gazette but other wise things are good. Why are you asking? Have you heard something?" Clark just looked at her. If he didn't know better, he would say that Chloe was nervous, but why would she be nervous?" 

"Chloe, you're babbling." He stopped her and put his hands on her shoulders to stop her pacing. 

"Damn." She scolded herself and looked away from him shaking off his hands and this gave him the hint he was looking for. 

"Ha, so you've heard." He asked her resignedly and looked at her knowingly. 

"Yeah Clark, I've heard. It's not like it was such a big secret, but why did I have to hear it from someone else?" 

"It's not true." Clark butt in but she ignored him and continued. "I'm supposed to be your best friend, but you don't tell me anything. First Lana, and then this; why do you think that you have to keep secrets from me, Clark?" 

"You're not listening to me, Chloe. It's not true." 

Like before, she dismissed it, "of course it's true, and you don't have to keep denying it. I'm not going to hate you for going out with Lex Luthor, after all he has many thing that we mere mortals don't but my problem is that you call me your best friend and you keep all these things from me. Well, let me tell you, with the way you have been treating me lately, it sucks being your friend." 

Clark reeled back flinchingly, he'd almost felt the hurt of her jibe physically and he looked at her surprised. How could she not believe him? 

"How could you say that, Chloe. I tell you the truth that I can and you just like now, you only believe what you want." 

"Believe what I want? Of course I believe what I want Clark, when you are never straight with me." A bitter laugh erupted from her mouth at that. "Oh look who I'm talking to about being straight with me. When you're not even straight with yourself. Tell me, if Lex was who you wanted to be with all this time, why did you go through the whole rigmarole of pretending to go with Lana and then lying to every body about it." 

"Lex..." he started deliberately, "is my friend. That is all. You can at least understand that, can't you, Chloe." He told her bitterly and that must have hit the right note because she turned to look at him searchingly. He didn't pay any attention to her look because he told her, "and from they way you have reacted today, I can say that he is my best friend. He listens to me and he trust me." 

After saying that, Clark felt a flutter in his chest at the lie he just told. Lex may listen to him, but he knew that Lex was aware of the many times that Clark lied to him. Lex just let him get away with it and for Clark; that was sometimes what he needed; someone who knew when to push and when not to. Lex did. It didn't mean that they didn't have their problems, they did, lots of them but he still counted on Lex for the important things. As he came out of his concentration to look at Chloe, he could only see a look of disbelief on her face. 

"Trusts you; Clark if he knew what was good for him, I don't think so. I've known you longer than he has and I don't trust you, Clark. There is something you are not telling me and maybe it is not about you being Lex Luthor's lover but it's about something. If you can't tell me what it is, then why should I believe you about this. You know how to hide things too much, Clark." 

Surprised, Clark just looked at the female blonde. "All this because I didn't tell you when I first started going out with Lana." Clark felt that he could say this because as far as he knew, his problems with Chloe came to a peak when his relationship with Lana started in secret. 

"Get over yourself, Clark." She snorted at him derisively. "This isn't about Lana anymore. And anyway, Lana was the one that exposed your relationship. She probably got tired of playing the perfect cover for you and Lex. I should have suspected it, the way you behaved around her, following her and stalking her, it wasn't normal." 

Clark's heart was filled with disappointment as he listened to Chloe. If he'd ever had any intentions of explaining the situation to her after settling things with Lana, it was all gone. After everything she said, he couldn't help concluding that she really wasn't as good a friend as he'd thought and hoped she would be. 

"I'm sorry that you feel that way, Chloe. Because it doesn't matter what I say, you've already made up your mind and that's fine. Just don't come to me when you discover how wrong you are." 

Clark then picked up his bag and made his way out of the office. As an aside, when he reached the door, he looked back at her and watched for a moment as she made the motions to start working on her computer. 

"You know something, Chloe, I may not have been the best friend that you wanted me to be but that didn't mean that I didn't think of you as my best friend and to me that meant that I'd listen to what you had to tell me when you were ready. You haven't exactly told me everything about you either and I didn't punish you for it. You always use the perfect excuse, 'A girl must have her secrets and girl talk.' Whatever happened to giving me the same consideration? Or am I just an open book meant for you to read?" 

Clark left her at that and though he refused to think of it as slinking, he slunk into his first class and tried to avoid drawing attention to himself by sitting in the back, away from his usual friends. 

He hardly noticed when the class filled up and only looked up when the teacher scratched on the board. Due to his revision the day before, Clark was able to get through his classes for the day with half attention. The rest of his mind was worrying over his forthcoming confrontation with Lana and in some part the outcome of his friendships. He noticed the looks that were leveled at him, and it was very different from the usual looks. Before, they only looked at him for being the strange boy that attended school later than the others but now, they looked at him in part disdain and disgust. There were also some thinly veined jealous looks also leveled at him but Clark ignored all of them. 

"Pete," he called out to his other best friend during the lunch break but Pete pretended not to hear him and moved away from his voice. He tracked his friend and called out to him again in a manner that could not be mistaken. Even then, Pete looked away from him and moved into click of football players close to him. 

"Man, can't you take a hint, you fagboy. The man doesn't want to talk to you. He doesn't want to catch any of your germs and diseases, so why don't you do him a favor and ... leave him alone." The quarterback sneered at him, making the others laugh. Clark noticed that Pete didn't laugh with them, thus giving him the impetus to continue talking to his friend and not hide his face in shame. 

"I wasn't talking to you Mike. Your name isn't Pete." 

"Yeah, and I can see that Pete is really interested in talking to you." Clark chose not to respond to the sarcasm, "Pete," he called again and this time the black boy answered but whatever Clark was expecting, it wasn't for the other boy not to look at him but rather look as though he was looking through Clark. 

"This is not the place and definitely not the time, Clark. You need to leave. I don't want to talk to you right now. Maybe some other time, okay." No sooner had he finished, Pete dismissed Clark and started talking to the other boys. The others followed his direction and ignored Clark. Mike then chose to take his personal disapproval a step further and spat at Clark. "No-one wants you here, Kent. Go back to being a bottom boy for Luthor. Maybe he will buy you a new one when he finishes using this one." 

Clark just blinked at him and hid his hurt at the words then walked away from the cluster of teenage boys. His lunch break was almost over anyway. The next set of classes don't go as quietly for Clark as the first set. This time, the football team members were more determined to get on his case and give him a hard time. The comments range from his being gay to his being the rich man's toy. Clark ignored all their comments but anyone who knew him could see how much it hurt by the look in his eyes and the way he hunched closer into his own space as if he could hide there from the rest of them. 

To get away from everyone, Clark didn't even contemplate going back to the Torch office at the end of the school day. The report he'd written for the paper was emailed in from the library, and he wasn't even sure that Chloe would use it. The other reporter hadn't said anything to him since their burst up in the torch office first thing in the morning, and Clark was okay with it. 

The last comment that Clark heard as he left the school ground was a female voice hissing out to him, "Sicko." 

Clark didn't go home as he usually did, he strolled through the town avoiding eyes till he got to The Talon. Lana was there serving from behind the bar and he made for her straight away. 

"What can I get you?" She asked without looking at him. He waited for her to look up before calling her name. 

"Lana." He couldn't help the hardness that was in his voice and for a moment, relished the furtive glance that she gave to her surroundings before answering him. 

"Clark! What are you doing here?" 

"I want to talk to you." 

Still furtive, she tried to whisper to him, "I have nothing to say to you, Clark. Either you order something or you just leave." 

"You didn't understand me, Lana. I wasn't asking if I could talk to you, Lana." He told her angrily, "I told you I wanted to talk to you. Somewhere private, Now." 

No sooner had he finished, he felt the effects of the green meteor rock behind him, and almost stumbled as he looked behind him to see the origin of the effects. The only thing behind him was a new student that had been hanging around the Talon since the school term began, Ralph. Clark quickly dismissed him and looked further about but there was no one else there. 

When he turned back to face his accuser, Ralph moved closer to him and this time he stumbled from the effect of the new boy. This reminded him of his reactions to Earl the Level Three man and he slowly pushed himself away from the boy's proximity. 

"You can stop pretending now, Kent. Everyone now knows that all that stumbling around that you do around Lana is just a way to cover up your sinful nature. So why don't you just leave her alone, she doesn't want anything to do with your faggoty arse anymore. 

"I have no problem with you, Penny. I just want to talk to Lana, and..." this time, he looked at Lana before telling her, "if you don't want me to make a scene here, you better talk to me, right now." 

"Clark knew that he'd never spoken to Lana that way before and from the way her eyes widened, she wasn't expecting it. If anyone had told him earlier that he was capable of being that angry with Lana Lang, he wouldn't have believed them in the least, but after going through the spectacle of what she'd made of his life all day, he was not in the mood to be gracious. He was angry and every minute she delayed him further, the angrier he got. It also didn't help that there was a meteorised mutant behind him wreaking havoc with his strength and giving him pain. 

Just as he leaned into the bar, making Lana squeak and lean back away from him, Ralph pulled on his shirt and spat at him, "You weren't listening to me, Kent. Maybe all that time you spent on your back for Luthor has done something to your brain, but the girl wants you to leave her alone, and I'm here to make sure you do. Your rich boyfriend isn't going to save you now. So if you don't get out of here, I'm going to beat the crap out of you and there's nothing your Luthor can do about it." 

Clark could feel the eyes of everyone in their close vicinity, not to mention in the whole coffee shop looking at them, and when he looked at Lana, he saw when she realized the same thing. Knowing his propensity for staying out of the limelight Clark was sure that she was counting on that to protect her from his wrath but he was not going to let her get away with smearing his name, and Lex's. 

Lex. This was someone whom he hadn't really considered all day. Unconsciously, he looked across the room to Lex's usual table and breathed out in relief at seeing it empty. He wouldn't have liked Lex to see him in this predicament. Unknown to Clark, Lana had caught his quick glance so when his eyes went back to hers, her eyes had hardened and she was now looking at him with a defiance that was previously absent. He was slowly becoming green and was grateful when he heard Lana say to the boy behind him, "Let him go, Ralph." 

"Are you sure, Lana? I don't want him scaring you like he did." He asked her in such a placating manner that the first thing that crossed Clark's mind was, 'Urrrgh, could he be anymore like Whitney, and could she not look for anymore clones.' 

"I'll be fine, Ralph, thank you." Lana answered him prettily and Clark barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. To think that not too long ago, he would have been the one waiting for a prettily phrased boon from her. 

:Forget Ralph, Lana. This is between you and me and I tell you, we have a lot to talk about. First of all, you lied, and you've been lying all day. And I want to know why. Who gave you the right to say such things about me." By the time Clark finished his rant, his voice was raised and he didn't mind who heard him. At the increased volume, Lana relented and called out to him. "Okay Clark, lets talk in the office. And this is just because I want you to stop bothering my customers." 

"Who cares about your customers, Lana. This is my life you are talking about." He told her callously and for a minute moment, he meant it. 

When they got to the office, Clark prepared himself to start shouting at her again in anger, but she started on him. "How dare you, Clark?" 

"How dare I?" He asked her disbelievingly. "Do you have room to talk? I'm not the one going around telling lies and spreading rumors. Just because we broke up." 

"Rumors, is that what you call them? As far as I'm concerned, it wasn't a rumor, it was just what I saw." 

"Through which eyes, Lana? The one out of your back of your head?" he scathed at her. 

"Oh please, Clark." She dismissed his statement. "You have no grounds to accuse me of anything, or to even talk to me about telling lies; and our break up, what a laugh. I was your girlfriend. But that didn't matter to you. Lex got married and the next thing we know, you are on a bike running as fast as you can. I was also in an accident where I ended up in hospital, the same time as your precious Lex but I didn't see you lying awake worrying about me. It was all about Lex Luthor. You were too busy trying to solve whatever problem Lex Luthor was having even though he was in an asylum which I know was the best place for him." At that statement, Clark could see that she was trying to bait him and he had to force himself to refrain from his usual defense of Lex. 

"Be honest, Clark. Who were you more worried about, Lex Luthor or I?" 

Beguilingly, Clark answered her, "You are both my friends, Lana. And while you are case was more physical, Lex's wasn't so I don't see how they can be compared." She just looked at him, not saying anything giving him the opportunity to continue, "And as for my going away, I cant believe that you could even think of saying something like that. I explained to you what had happened at the farm and with my parents and why I had to leave. It had nothing to do with Lex. And if I remember correctly, I asked you to go with me but you said no." 

From the closed off look on her face, Clark could see that what he said hadn't made any difference. 

"What got into you, Lana? What made you think you should do something so cruel?" 

"Cruel. You don't even know the meaning of the word, Clark." Lana derided. 

"After keeping all your secrets, and all the times that you lied to me. You broke up with me. ... Me. How could you think you could do something like that?" 

He gaped at her. "People break up everyday, Lana. They don't have to destroy each other's lives as a result." 

"You keep telling yourself that, Clark. But they don't break up with me. All this time everyone told me that you liked me, and then you just go around spending all your time with Lex. You were too busy saving him and giving him more of your attention when I was the one who was supposed to be your girlfriend. Did you think I was going to take it lying down forever? Even Whitney gave me more attention when his father was dying." 

"Here we go again," Clark started, disgusted. "I can't compare to the sainted Whitney so I was doing something wrong. I see that Whitney didn't stay around here for very long, did he? It didn't have anything to do with his wanting to get away from you did it?" He asked her spitefully and as she raised her hands to slap him, he caught it inches from his face and even though his grip wasn't strong, she called out, "Let go of me, Clark." 

Just then he knew why she had shouted because Ralph knocked on the door, "Is everything alright in there?" Lana smiled at him with a glint in her eye before calling out, "It's alright, Ralph." 

She really surprised Clark at that. He looked at her and right then knew that for all that she'd lived next to him for years, and they'd been going out for months, he could only conclude one thing; Clark Kent didn't really know Lana Lang. 

"How could you complain about my saving Lex, when no one ever says anything when I leave every thing I have to do to come and save you from one of your messes?" He then scoffed at her, "why am I bothering to explain anything to you. You don't want to listen. You don't care about anyone but yourself. You're just a selfish bitch, Lana." She gasped at his language, but that didn't stop him. "I was the one that broke up with you, and messed up your image and hurt you. It didn't matter if you had wanted to hurt me, but Lex has been nothing but kind to you, did you have to drag him into this as well?" he asked her. 

"You only saw a little of what the people in this town think of what you said from the way they treated me in school. What do you think they are going to do to Lex." 

"Lex, Lex, Lex, Lex, Lex... I'm tired of talking about and hearing about Lex fucking Luthor," she snapped at him, and he ignored her language as she had done his. 

"And what about my parents, Lana?" He asked her and as if it only occurred to her, she questioned him, "Your parents?" 

"Yes, my parents. Martha and Jonathan Kent; you remember them? What have they ever done to you? You saw how they treated me, how do you think they are going to treat them? All they ever did was adopt me and take me into their home and then into their life. I know that I've already cost them enough money, time and pain. But they don't deserve to have people point at them on the street about the strange boy they took in and about his being Lex Luthor's whore." 

By now, Lana had tears pooling at her eyes but Clark also ignored them because he couldn't be sure that they were real. 

"All I ever did was like you and want to be your friend. But now, after seeing what it is like to be your friend and having been your boyfriend, maybe it is better for Whitney that he died rather than return to a selfish shrew like you. You think I'm not worthy of being your friend maybe you're right. Save your friendship for whomever you feel deserves you, Lana. I'm getting off this bus. Goodbye Lana. 

After saying that, Clark left Lana there in the room, as far as he was concerned, for the last time. His friendship with her was at an end. Clark opened the door to see Ralph waiting patiently and as Clark walked by, he grabbed Clark again, "What did you do to her in there, Kent?" 

"None of your business, Penny, let go of me." 

At the door to the Talon, Clark ran into Pete walking in with his new football buddies and he just looked away from them. After the wrenching session with Lana, Clark wasn't prepared to have another confrontation with someone he called a friend. 

The unfortunate thing about his decision was that Pete wasn't prepared to let him be. When he was ready to talk, the short black boy didn't want to, and now that he wanted to go home and lose himself in his chores, Pete wanted to talk. Pete called out to him as he was walking down the high street and Clark didn't even stop or slow down. He'd talk to Pete, but in his own time. Pete called out to him louder, and as others stopped to look at him, he stopped and hid himself in a nearby alcove to wait for Pete to catch up. 

"Clark man, what happened to you and Lana in there? She's all red eyed and they are saying that you were the one that caused it." 

"So you're talking to me now, Pete?" Clark asked him wryly and if Pete could flush, Clark was sure that he would have flushed. 

"C'mon man, you know how things are. If things start happening a certain way, people start thinking things about you." 

"So you were ashamed of talking to me." 

"I wouldn't exactly say that I was ashamed, Clark but you should have told me." 

"Told you what, Pete." 

"About you and Luthor. You know how I feel about that family. If you had to sleep with a guy why did it have to be him, huh." Clark didn't even attempt to confront him on the unfairness of his statement. He was sure that Pete would have problems with whomever he was linked with, as long as it was male. 

"This whole thing has been blown out of proportion, Pete. I didn't tell you because there was nothing to tell. Lex is my friend, as I've been telling you since the first day I met him. I am not sleeping with him, or anything like that." 

"Sure Clark." Pete agreed, though disbelieving. "But I don't know how you can keep denying it." 

"I'm not denying anything, Pete. I'm telling you the truth." Clark shouted at him, tired of having his word questioned. This was just like his conversation with Chloe in the morning. Was it only a day since the first rumor started? It suddenly felt longer. 

"That's why you made Lana cry in the Talon." 

"Lana is a lying selfish little bitch, Pete and she started all this." When Pete just looked at him as if he'd just grown an extra head, he questioned at him, "How could you not believe me, Pete? You know the truth of what I am; you know what happened." Pete looked away. 

"Clark, I know man. But look at it from my point of view. We'd been friends since we were kids, and it was only last year that you told me about your origins and I'm sure that was only because I was the one that found your ship. If not I'm sure that you'd still be lying to me and keeping your secrets. You've lied to me too much in the past, Clark. I'm not sure that you won't lie to me in the future and I can't be sure that you're not lying to me now. I can't trust that." 

"You don't trust me." Clark calmly stated. 

"Ooooh man, you're my best friend and in some things I trust you with more than my life, but I don't think this is one of those times. There is something weird going on, something weirder than usual and if you don't talk to me, I can do anything to help you. You need to get whatever it is off your chest, Clark." In that moment, Pete was looking at Clark just the same way he had when he'd just seen the ship. Part fear, part fascination and part derision. Since he wasn't ready to bear the look any longer, Clark just looked away and told his friend. "I can't do anything about your fears, Pete. You're right about one thing though, if I had the choice, I wouldn't have told you anything about my origins because what I see is that it hasn't done our friendship any good. And as for my secrets, yeah right. Like you have told me everything about your secrets, your life and your feelings. Why is it always my secrets on the line? If that is what it takes for you to trust me, then maybe it is better that you don't. Go back to your football buddies, Pete. And don't think that just because I don't hear it from your mouth, it sets you apart when they call me Lex Luthor's whore." He left Pete looking at him and barely noticed when the other boy winced at his words. 

Clark found an isolated corner and sped home. He got there to meet his parents sitting in the kitchen with long faces. His mothers face was different from what it was like in the morning, and his father's face was pinched and drawn. The look in their eyes told him that it was really more than just a worry about his being late from school. He knew that they had heard the rumors and from his father's face, Jonathan Kent wasn't happy about it one bit. 

"Clark, you come and sit down here this instant. What is this we're hearing all over town?" 

"Good evening to you too, Dad; Hi Mom." He greeted Jonathan sarcastically and smiled at his mom. They didn't smile back. And Clark gulped and sat, looking at them. 

"It's not true, Mom." He told them even before they could accuse him of anything. 

"Are you sure you're telling us the truth, Clark?" She asked him. And Clark couldn't help huffing at them. "Why does no one believe me?" He asked them, raising his hands in exasperation. 

"Well, ... Clark, we know that you are friends with Lex, but you can see how the situation can be interpreted." 

"Mom, you're not listening to me. Just like Chloe, Pete, and Lana. None of you are listening to me. Lex is my friend, my best friend why don't you all leave it at that." 

"Don't shout at your mother, young man." Jonathan told him, acerbically. 

"I'm not shouting at her, Dad. I'm just trying to make her see that she is wrong." 

"When you raise your voice to her, Clark. You are shouting at her. But that is off topic. I knew when you started having anything to do with that Luthor boy there would be problems. But you didn't listen to me. That Luthor is no good for you, Clark. You say he is your friend. Well, before you could call him that, none of this would have happened." 

Clark took a deep breath and looked at his dad. "Lex had nothing to do with this, Dad. It is all Lana's fault." 

"How can you blame her?" Jonathan asked him, strongly. "We heard that she was the one having a problem dealing with it, but who could blame her? If she felt like you were using her, she has the right not to want you to continue." 

"Using her, what are you talking about, Dad?" Jonathan didn't answer him but just looked away. 

"Clark looked at them, from his mom to his dad and back but when they remained silent, he asked, "Mom?" 

"What is going on?" he shouted at them almost standing. And when Martha flinched, he sat back and tried to rein in his anger. 

"Well, Clark. We heard that she got tired of covering up for you and Lex. We heard how you left Smallville last summer because of Lex's wedding." 

"Well, there is your proof that all this is all a bunch of bull. Last summer had nothing to do with Lex and you know it. This is all Lana's weird revenge about my breaking up with her." 

"Yes, about that. For as long as you have known that you like girls, you have liked Lana. The next thing we hear, you have broken up with her. Your reason for breaking up with her wouldn't be because of Lex now would it?" Jonathan asked him mordantly. And Clark looked at his dad in disgust. 

"You're determined to blame Lex for everything aren't you? I'm sure if you found a way to blame him for my arriving on earth and causing all the problems in your lives, you will. But this time, you're wrong. Lex had nothing to do with this. He had absolutely nothing to do with my break up with Lana. I may have liked her, but I discovered that she is just a selfish girl who couldn't handle anything. Like now, she can't deal with the fact that I broke up with her, so now she's spread all these rumors to try and wreck my life." 

"I can't believe that Lana would do something like this without reason, Clark. She is a sweet girl. Why would she say something like this if it wasn't true? There must be a mistake somewhere." Martha told him, shaking her head. "And you really shouldn't think that you have wrecked our lives. We are very happy to have you here with us. You are our son, Clark." 

"Yeah, but I'm sure that if you'd adopted a normal human boy, you wouldn't have had as many problems would you. At least he wouldn't have killed his younger sibling and almost killed you, Mom. That's for sure." 

Clark picked up his bag and left the kitchen after saying that, not giving his parents a chance to reply. As for his mom, he couldn't believe that she took Lana's word over his. 

Clark then sped away from the house to do his chores. When he finished, he went to the far end of the field, and started working there, anything to avoid returning home. When he got hungry, he forced his body to accept the hunger and continued losing himself in the mindless chores that he was doing. 

As it got darker, Clark slowly made his way home to find his parents in the kitchen once again. This time, the dinner was waiting for him, as were his parents. By some kind of tacit agreement, they didn't say anything about their problems but sat around, ate and discussed the farm, chores and the likes. Light hearted conversation that used to be the life of the kitchen in his younger years. 

It didn't stay that way for very long though as Martha gave him his phone message just as he was doing the dishes. 

"Lex called you earlier, Clark. He would like you to call him back." 

Clark blanched at the thought of his friend. After the day's confrontations, he wasn't ready to lose yet another friend to Lana's fantasy. "Okay, Mom. Thanks." He told his mother quietly. When he didn't do anything but continue with the dishes he was doing, his parents looked at him in surprise, and he realized that they were waiting for him to run to the phone. 

"Aren't you going to call him back?" 

Reaching a decision, Clark shook his head. "Not just yet, Mom. I need to talk to you both first, about what happened to me in school today, and everything." 

"Clark," Jonathan started and Clark refused to let him brush it off. 

"No, Dad, I've already lost three friends today. I'll not lose my parents too." 

"Ooh Clark," Martha called him and moved in to give him a hug. "You're not going to lose us. We may have our problems, but we move on from there and grow stronger as a family. Because that is what families do, and that is what we do." 

Clark refrained from reminding her that she had a father that she'd cut out of her life years ago. After all, he'd also been her family for a long time. 

"Let's sit." He dragged them to the couch and sat on the floor before them cross-legged as he looked at them. He did it this way to express the seriousness of the situation to them, and also so that they could see that he wasn't lying to them. It was a posture left over from his younger days and his parents recognized it, because their eyes softened in remembrance. He looked firstly at his mother. 

"Mom, I can't believe that you'd take Lana's word over mine." 

"Son, ..." Jonathan started in response but Clark looked away from him, and gave Martha an opportunity to answer. 

"Honey, it's not that I believe Lana over you. It's just that I can see the situation a lot clearer." 

"You might see a situation, Mom but instead of talking to me about it, you jumped on the same bandwagon that every one has been on all day. It is a bandwagon of revenge driven by Lana Lang and everybody believes her instead of me. Ever since I grew up, I've learnt to hide myself and the things that I can do." His parents winced at that. "It's difficult to hide when you have close friends who think they know you. It even more difficult when you have a girlfriend, let me tell you." 

"You might have liked Lana, and before I knew her, I also liked her, but after saving her many times, she just started wanting to know how I was saving her, getting in trouble so that I could save her and she could understand the mystery that is Clark Kent." 

"Oh, Clark" Martha consoled. 

Now, he flushed part in embarrassment and part in shame, "After hearing her talk about Whitney so many times, I think that she didn't really like me, she just wanted someone to move onto after him, and since she knew I liked her anyway, she just pitied me. And then she started asking questions and questions and questions. Lana was never satisfied when I couldn't tell her everything, accusing me of keeping secrets. I couldn't tell her my biggest secret, and that really bugged her." 

"Well Clark, do you think you should have told her? That we were wrong? After all, you told Pete." 

"No Dad." Clark almost shouted. "I don't think we should have told her. Especially after seeing the way Pete reacted. And the things Pete does just to get me to do some alien thing for him, it's getting really old really fast. I couldn't tell my friends my secret, so today, three of them told me straight out that they don't trust me. They know I'm lying to them, and even though Pete knows why I'm lying, it didn't stop him from telling me that he doesn't trust me. It didn't stop him from giving me red kryptonite, to lose my inhibitions and I don't think it will stop him from giving me green kryptonite if he gets angry enough to want to hurt me, especially now that I see how much he likes Lana. If I could take that knowledge from him, I will. And I really hope that the powers I get, I'll have one that will make people forget." 

His parents were looking at him in stupefied surprise, and Clark could only surmise that they couldn't think of anything to say to him. He on the other hand, had more things to say to them, so he continued. "This whole thing started with a rumor from a bitter Lana. The biggest gossip in school must have asked her about me after hearing that I'd broken up with her, and Lana just shot her mouth off. Things rolled on from there, and before I knew it, the whole school is looking at me as if I'm a bigger freak than usual and calling me names. When I confronted Lana, she didn't deny it. After all, how could I, the school nerd break up with her? No matter how perfect you thought she was, Mom. She wasn't." 

"I didn't think she was perfect, Clark." Martha denied and Clark only looked at her, not agreeing or disagreeing. She then responded to his look, "Really, I just thought she was good for you." 

Clark shook his head, "No she wasn't. I just couldn't see it." 

"If as you say, she is just taking her revenge, then why would she use Lex?" Jonathan asked him and Clark looked straight at his father. 

"Lex is my best friend, Dad. Lana had a problem with my not spending time at her bedside while Lex was in the psychiatric hospital. I checked up on her, I really did but I couldn't spend as much time with her. To me, Lex had bigger problems and since it is impossible for me to split myself in two, I chose to help the only one that I needed to. There were others there to help Lana and I knew she would be okay. Lex needed my help. What should I have done? What would you have done?" 

"We were not there honey, we didn't have to make that choice and I'm sure you made the right one for you." Martha told him, not answering. So he asked again, "What about you, Dad. What would you have done?" 

"I don't know, Clark. But they are both okay now, so that should make you happy, right." 

"Normally, it would. But now, Lana doesn't want to hear any explanation that I might have. It doesn't help that she has teamed up with Chloe, who has always wanted to know my secrets. I had to break it off." 

"I'm sure you did the right thing, Clark. But what do you do now?" Jonathan asked him. 

"People always talk about me, Dad. So I'll just let them do their talking and wait till it dies down. I only hope that it doesn't affect Lex in the wrong way." 

"Again with Lex Luthor. Why don't you think about yourself for now, Clark and leave Luthor out of it, I'm sure he has enough money to buy himself out of any trouble. And if as you say, it's all a lie, then he has nothing to worry about does he?" Jonathan said realistically. 

It wasn't what Clark wanted to hear. "It's all a lie, Dad, but nobody is listening. Haven't you heard anything I've said? And it doesn't matter what I say anymore, people are always looking for a way to pin something on Lex. Just look at you?" 

"Me? What about me?" 

"You've never given Lex a chance, Dad and you know it. And be honest, if I wasn't your son and you didn't know me, if you heard this story, you wouldn't believe that it is a lie either." Jonathan reddened at that but couldn't deny Clark's accusation. Martha just bit her lip and looked away. 

She then looked back at him and asked, "What about Lex, Clark? What does he think about this whole situation?" 

Clark turned haunted eyes at her and felt her balk from it. "I don't know, Mom. I haven't spoken to him yet." 

"Clark?" She queried but he looked away from her. Jonathan looked between them not understanding but they didn't say anything after that. 

"Clark?" She asked him again and he still didn't answer. 

"What aren't you telling us, Clark?" Jonathan then asked. 

"You know you can tell us anything, honey. What happened?" That was a question that he could answer. 

"Nothing happened." He said quite emphatically. 

"Okay, what did you expect to happen?" 

"Again, nothing Mom." 

"Tell me." Clark could feel his cheeks get rosy as he looked away from them. 

"Tell me." She told him again in that Mom voice that was impossible to ignore. So not even chancing a glance at his dad, Clark reached deep within his depths to tell his parents the secret that he'd never told anyone, not even to say it out loud to himself. 

"The rumors are all lies. Lex is not my lover, he is my best friend." By now his cheeks were quiet red and he couldn't meet his mom's eyes anymore. "What I cannot deny though, is that yes, I do love him. But I also know that I don't deserve him. With all my secrets and lies, I don't think I can even make him happy." 

"Don't say that, Clark. You deserve to be happy as much as the next person." Martha rebutted but Clark only smiled at her sadly before telling her, "There is something that Lex likes saying, 'there are some people that are meant to be alone.' I think I'm one of those people." 

"I don't believe that, Son. You're just young, give yourself some time." 

"Not in this case, Dad." 

"When did this happen?" Martha asked him, trying to understand and he smiled at her, remembering the feeling of loving Lex, and when he'd accepted it. 

"Honestly, I don't really know. He was just always there, and I was more interested in Lana and getting her to notice me. I know he thinks of me as only a friend, and if I'd had the chance and Lana had been a different person, I would have put everything into making her happy and being happy with her. But it didn't happen that way." 

He looked straight at his parents, "Right now, I'm not even sure that Lex trusts me. He's always known when I was lying to him. He just let me get away with it. And so far, it'd never hurt him. But now, people are going to point more hands at him and any help he might have given Smallville at the plant will be suspect. He didn't need this, especially just after facing his father's duplicity and ending up in the hospital. I never wanted to hurt him, Mom, but now I think through me, Lana will. And if Lionel Luthor was ever looking for another way to hurt him, he has found it. You say that I didn't bring you pain, but now, Lex can't say the same. No matter what I feel for him, being my friend is going to cost him, and I don't care what you say about his having more money that god and his being a Luthor, he didn't deserve that." 

"I know that, Son." Jonathan told him quietly 

Before they could continue, the phone rang and they started at its volume, the way it broke into the solemn silence that had descended during their discussion. Martha reached out and picked it up. Surprise, surprise, it was Lex. 

"Yes he's right here, Lex." 

Clark shook his head, not wanting to take the phone but Martha smile at him and encouragingly gave him the phone. 

"Hey Lex," he greeted his best friend. 

"Clark!" Lex stated and the inflection or lack of it in that single word was enough to tell Clark that his best friend was angry. 

"What wrong thing did I do to you, Clark?" 

"Nothing, Lex." 

"It couldn't possibly have been nothing, Clark. Because if I had done nothing to you, I would still be able to walk down the main street without people pointing more hands at me than usual. I would be able to go into the Talon without hearing whisperings of my being a child molester. I wouldn't be having my lawyers looking into possibilities of my being accused of sexual misconduct with a minor. I wouldn't have people try to threaten me not to close down the Talon in revenge against Lana for not wanting to cover up my relationship with you. And last but not the least, I wouldn't have my father over here making a mockery of our relationship. A relationship that I must remind you, I know nothing about." 

"Lex," Clark called again, succeeding in stopping Lex after calling him about five times during his rant. 

"Yes, Clark." 

"I had nothing to do with it. It's just a rumor and I'm sorry, it'll blow over." 

"I don't want it to blow over, Clark. I don't even want it to exist. How could you do this? You can't tell me you had nothing to do with it. Your friends didn't just come up with this out of the blue. If you want to play around with your life Clark, that is your business but what gives you the right to play around with my life?" 

"Stop it, Lex. I'm not playing around with anything. And I really had nothing to do with it. This is someone's sick idea of a joke and I'm sorry you got caught up with it but that was not my fault." Shouting at Lex must have done the trick, because the other man quietly asked, "What happened?" 

"Do you really want to know?" 

"I'm asking you, aren't I?" Lex snapped back at him. "Lana got jealous." Clark stated blandly as if it explained everything. And Lex responded in a bitter laugh. "What does the small-town princess have to be jealous about?" 

"You?" Clark told him 

"Stop this, Clark. Stop lying and stop playing with my head. I expected better from you, Clark." Lex told him somewhat dismissively and that hurt more than anything. 

"Lex, don't do this. I've already lost enough friends today, I can't lose you too." 

"I don't understand what you mean by that, Clark. I'll talk to you later." 

"Don't drop the phone, Lex. I'll come over and we can talk about this." 

"There is nothing to talk about. Don't come here." 

"Lex please." 

"No, Clark. Good night." Lex dropped the phone. At its sound from the handset he was holding, Clark keened in pain. He felt so alone. He'd almost accepted the loss of Lana, Chloe and Pete, but he didn't expect that Lex would turn his back on him as well. Clark barely felt Martha hugging him from behind and Jonathan pulling him up into his own arms for a big hug. He was lost in the sea of aloneness. Not long afterwards, Clark pulled away from his parents and staggered up to his room. His parents let him go. Clark was barely aware of sleeping off, and by the time Martha came up to check up on him some time later, even she could recognize the tear tracks on his cheeks. 

Clark woke up the next day feeling bugged down by his heavy heart. Luckily for him, it was a Friday and not wanting to go into school and face the accusing eyes of his schoolmates, Clark asked him mom for a note to be handed in on Monday. One look at his face and into his eyes and she agreed. Clark ate his breakfast with a faraway look in his eyes and Martha didn't call him back from it. She gave him the space he needed, touching him at intermittent times as if to remind the both of them that she was there for him and to remind her that he was there. His chores for the day went through slower than usual as Clark did his best to bury himself in the mindless motions. Even as they numbed his mind, he couldn't help the phrase going through his mind, 'it wasn't fair.' That ran on again and again. 

None of his friends had given him a chance and he couldn't help being disappointed. Once, he stood still for so many minutes looking at the far horizon. He wasn't exactly thinking of running away, but he couldn't help feeling that out there, further than his super powered eyes could see, it would have been better for him. 

The day went really fast for Clark, and before he knew it, his mother was calling him in for his afternoon meal. Clark ate in silence and went to his barn afterwards. There he got working on his assignments and spent some time on the Internet. 

In the early evening hours, Clark got permission from his parents to go to the castle and visit Lex. Jonathan wasn't too pleased with the idea but Martha over-rode his objections and Clark was allowed to visit. He chose not to take the truck since his curfew was relaxed on the weekends and he wanted to stroll for some time before speeding out to the castle. Halfway there, a truck pulled up beside him and Ralph came out of the drivers seat with two of his cronies, Mike the quarterback and David, another football player. With the meteorite from Ralph weakening him, Clark couldn't run away from them for long so he just faced them asking, "What can I do for you, Ralph." 

"You hurt Lana yesterday." 

"Excuse me?" Clark asked surprise. 

"You shouldn't have done that. She just pitied you by being your girlfriend but that wasn't enough for you, was it? You had to drag her into you sick little game with your rich boyfriend." 

Clark was concentrating so much on Ralph and the weakness he and the meteor rocks had evoked in him that he didn't notice Mike walk behind him and hit him with a baseball bat. Clark fell to his knees with that blow and this gave the others the chance to hit him more. The hits from Mike and Dave didn't really make much of a difference and if it were another day and another place, he would have gotten away from them but this time around, Ralph laid heavy blows on him and since his blood was infused with meteor rock, when Ralph broke his own skin from his blows, the blood that remained on Clark caused him more pain. 

"I wont warn you again Kent. Keep away from Lana. She is too good for you and you don't deserve to even lick her boots. We'll be watching you." When Ralph said that, Clark almost laughed at the arbitrary thought that went through his mind. 'Here's another thing that this Ralph has in common with the sainted Whitney. Lana sure knows how to pick them.' The last hit to the back on his head was enough to knock him out and by the time Clark came back to consciousness, his shirt was torn and bloody and this wounds, where Ralph's blood had reached were sore and he was considerably weaker than usual. Clark first contemplated returning home but he couldn't imagine his parents seeing him bloodied and hurting. He'd noticed something in the past, for all the problems that he had with his parents, they were comforted by his supposed indestructibility and seeing him bleeding was something he didn't want them to confront. And it occurred to him that this was just something else that his father would think of adding to the black book he reserved for Lex's crimes. 

The next people that occurred to Clark were Chloe and Pete, but considering the way they'd left things, Clark also couldn't think of going to them for help, which left him with the only other person he could trust. 

Slowly but surely, Clark made his way to the Luthor castle. It occurred to him when he was almost there that Lex might not let him in but Clark was prepared to beg if it was what it took. Squeezing himself through the gate, Clark barely made his way to the front door. He was really weakened and only wanted to wash the tainted blood off him and regain his strength. 

Lex's butler took one look at Clark and let him into the house and from the look on his face; Clark could only guess that it was against Lex's instructions. The older man quietly let Clark into Lex's smaller study and told him to wait. Clark didn't want to stain any of the expensive couches in the room so he moved straight to the window and stood looking out at the horizon, as far as his eyes could see. When the view got blurry, Clark closed his eyes against the pain and let his shoulders droop as he tried to catalogue the pain coursing through his body. 

"I thought I told you not to come here, Clark." He heard Lex say as he entered the room and even with his eyes closed, Clark could hear the tension in his friends voice and though he tried, he couldn't straighten out so with his shoulders still drooped, Clark turned and faced the man he loved, greeting him, "Hey, Lex." 

He was steadily getting weaker and it was obvious in his voice. "Gawd, Clark. What happened to you?" Lex suddenly asked him horrified. Clark attempted to shake his head in response, but it only hastened the black horizon behind his eyelids. "No, no, stop." Lex tried telling him even as he reached out to Clark but Clark could barely respond. The moment he felt Lex's hand on him, Clark succumbed to the darkness, comfortable that Lex would catch him when he fell. 

For the second time that day, Clark returned to consciousness in a place that was not his home and a place that he didn't recognize. Looking round, he saw Lex sitting on a chair at his bedside watching him carefully. "How long?" he tried asking but his words were garbled. Lex must have understood because he answered him even as he approached him with a glass of water. "Just over an hour." 

Clark drank till he was satisfied, which wasn't a lot, but it cleared the cotton-wool feeling in his mouth, and he could say "thank you" with clearer understanding. Lex nodded in dismissal and since Clark could still feel weak where he wasn't expecting it, he looked down on his body. He'd been changed from his bloody shirt and a lot of the blood was washed off but he could still see some of it. Lex must have noticed him looking because he said wryly, "I tried to clean you up as much as I could but it might just be better for you to wash the blood off." 

Clark looked around the room, looking for the nearest exit and Lex misinterpreted his motions, pointing to one of the many doors and telling him, "The bathroom is that way." 

"May I?" Clark asked pointing and Lex nodded, "Help yourself. You'll find some clothes out here waiting when you finish." 

Clark washed himself with close to boiling water, as it was the only thing he discovered could get rid of the acidic blood on his skin. By the time he went into the room, Lex was gone, clothes were waiting and his strength was returning. 

No sooner had he finished dressing, Lex was back in the room looking at him quite seriously. "Not that I wouldn't want to help you, Clark but I thought I told you not to come here." 

Clark looked down at his socks feeling Lex's disapproval quite acutely. He was ashamed of that feeling and couldn't help withdrawing from the apparent hurt. "I had no-where else to go." He semi mumbled to his friend. 

"I can't believe that, Clark. In this whole town, you would decide that I am your refuge." 

"It's true. I had no-where else to go." 

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the rumors would it?" Lex asked him knowingly and he couldn't help his unconscious nod. If he were hoping for some understanding from Lex, it didn't come. Instead, Lex just told him quite emphatically, "Well, you should have thought of that before you went telling tales." 

"I didn't do this, Lex." 

"No, I suppose you didn't. This is a bit too straightforward for you. You tell different kind of lies." 

Fully hunched now, Clark only looked at Lex in regret and started looking around for his shoes. He remembered telling his mom the night before that he felt he didn't deserve Lex. He couldn't imagine when he'd felt more certain that he didn't deserve Lex. 

He thought of telling Lex that, but the only words that could come to him as he wore his shoes were, "Maybe you're right Lex. I shouldn't have come here. I just didn't want my parents to see me like that and I hoped you would help me. I'm sorry to have troubled you." 

Resigned, Clark started making his way out of Lex's room and his life. Because he was sure that he wouldn't see the other man in such friendly surroundings any more. 

Just on the threshold of the door, Clark heard Lex call him back. "Clark, can you tell me, how did all this happen?" 

Clark refused to look back but just shook his head negatively and continued walking away. 

"Clark," Lex called him again. "I'm not angry anymore, just ... how did this happen? Where did this all come from and how does Lana fit into it?" 

Hearing the seriousness in Lex's voice, Clark returned to the room and tried to explain everything about the rumors and the mixed relationships to Lex. He edited the story, not telling him about Chloe and Pete not trusting him, but Lex must have seen through this as well because whenever he stumbled, Lex just gave him a knowing look and let him continue. By the time he finished, they were both sitting on the bed with him leaning on the board and Lex at the end. 

"Is that everything, Clark?" 

Clark acknowledged the hit by lowering his eyes before answering, "It's everything that I can tell you now. Please believe that." 

Lex nodded and then asked him, "What about this evening? What happened that led you to my home in that state?" 

Clark flushed and answered in shame; about the beating that Ralph and his buddies gave him. Lex looked at him in askance at that, and he could read the question there, 'after everything he'd been through, how could three high school jocks get the better of him?' 

Since it was unvoiced, Clark only shrugged in response before asking his own question, "What now?" 

"After the way I treated you last night, why did you come back?" Lex asked him seriously and as he remembered his mother encouraging him to talk to Lex last night, Clark took his heart in his hands and made a tentative offer to Lex. 

"I came back because I knew that even if I lost all my other friends, I didn't want to lose you. Lex, you're my best friend and I love you very much. You are one of the most important people in my life and I couldn't afford to lose you too." The redness of Lex's scalp was the only testament to his being affected by Clark's words but he looked back at Clark steadily. 

"I take it Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross are not standing by you?" 

"No, they both believe that what Lana said is true and since Chloe and Lana became close friends, I'm not really surprised anymore. As for Pete, I think he likes Lana so he has to believe her. Mom says that she sees something there between us, so no matter how much I deny it, there is a little bit of truth in the rumors regarding my feelings. Unfortunately, it wasn't about my feelings, they made it sound all dirty and wrong. I promise you, I'd never want you to get in trouble because of me." He entreated to Lex, and the other man nodded, "I know that, Clark." 

"So, what do you think?" he queried and Lex was quiet for some time before answering. 

"I think, that you really are a very good friend to me, better than I deserve sometimes. I also think that you think that you love me." Clark couldn't let him continue, "No Lex, I know that I love you." Clark leaned forward and placed a tiny kiss on Lex's lips. Lex opened up reflexively either to admonish him or something, but Clark took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. As soon as he felt the heat of Lex's mouth, he gulped at the fulfilling sensation that it evoked deep within him. Quite the opposite of the aloneness that had enveloped him when he thought Lex was angry with him the night before. When the kiss ended, he pulled away from Lex and looked at him in awe. The wonder in his eyes was reflected in Lex's eyes for a moment before they beautiful blue-gray eyes shuttered again. 

"Well, I see you do know what you are talking about." 

Clark didn't want to waste any time, so he suddenly asked without checking his words, "I know everyone already thinks so, but would you..." he couldn't finish and chancing a look at Lex, he saw the other man watching him in some amusement, so he gathered his courage and asked, "Will you be my boyfriend?" 

"Since I don't think I'll look good in orange, are you old enough?" 

"I am." 

"Then yes, I will be your boyfriend, on some conditions." 

"What are they?" Clark asked in trepidation but Lex's small smile cooled his unease. He closed his eyes in pleasure as Lex smooth hands combed through his hair. Still combing, Lex told him, "We have a lot of thing to sort out between us, lies to disprove and truths to tell. If we are to have a relationship, then they need to be sorted, agreed?" Clark just nodded at him accepting that this relationship would not be like the one he had with Lana. For a moment, remembering his ex and the way she had reacted, Clark looked up at Lex fearfully. He quickly looked away but Lex had caught the look. And pulled his face up from his chin. "I'm not like Lana, Clark. You can trust me no to hurt you the way she has." Clark could only nod at Lex. Whether Lex hurt him or not, it was a part of the future that was yet to come, and he would deal with it as it occurred but if he wasn't going to end up alone, he was going to do his best to make it work. 

Tiredly, he felt his head grow heavy under Lex's unconscious caress and leaned forward to rest on Lex's shoulder. The other man leaned into him and rest his own baldhead against Clark's as if cradling him in a comforting cocoon. 

"You've had a hard couple of days haven't you?" Lex asked him wryly. 

Clark shifted to give himself room as he answered, "You could say that." 

"Well, another thing I could say is that your friends did us a favor by letting everyone know about us didn't they?" Clark snorted at that. "Favor or not, I'm not going to forgive them for not believing me and hurting me like they did." 

"But you forgave me." 

"You're different." Clark stated and Lex continued "Far be it for me to advocate you forgiving the people who would only take your time away from me, but I know how you are with your friends, Clark. Treat this as one of your fights and move on. Don't let it weigh down on you. After all, you know what they say." 

"No, what?" Clark asked him not quite frowning as before. 

"Who else are you going to fight with if not your friends?" 

The End!!!!! 


End file.
